


Power Player

by TheIgDemon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Battle, More characters to come, No Traveling Partners, Pokemon Battle, Realistic OP, Smart Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, battle tactics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIgDemon/pseuds/TheIgDemon
Summary: Sure, he wanted to be a powerful trainer with powerful Pokemon by his side, every kid did, but after a nasty incident on his third day as a trainer, he wanted to take that power to new heights. To never be weak or vulnerable ever again. It would be an arduous path to that power, but if his Pokemon were up for it, he would be as well.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	1. Power in Spades

**Author's Note:**

> So I actually started this fic 2 years ago and just now recently updated it with the third chapter. Figured I'd post it over here on AO3 as well for the heck of it. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

_'Finally, I can begin my journey tomorrow'_ , thought the ten-year-old Ash as he finished packing his backpack with the essentials he would need for his travels. The young trainer-to-be ruffled his black locks and stood up from his kneeling position on the floor, turning his head to look at the Voltorb clock on his night stand; it read 8:45.

It had been a grueling five years at the trainer academy in Viridian City, but it had been worth it. Two decades ago, the Goodshow family, who had been running the Pokémon league since its inception, decided that anyone who wanted to become a Pokémon trainer of any sort had to take a five year course in not only training and caring for Pokémon, but survival as well. Upon turning ten, and/or finishing your five years worth of schooling, you could apply to take the final exam. Passing it granted you your trainer's license.

The earliest you could enter into the schools was five years old, which Ash eagerly did. He had wanted to leave when he turned ten, after all. The only other kid who entered at the age of five around Pallet Town had been his friend and rival, Gary Oak. The two of them had pushed each other to do their best in school, earning them the top spots score-wise. They had passed the exam with flying colors, and his mother and Professor Oak could not have been more proud of them.

Of course Ash's mom was rather reluctant to let her son leave at the age of ten, but there was nothing she could do. It was written in law that once a child turned ten, they were a legal adult in the eyes of the law. It had been that way since ancient times and the Goodshow's refused to overturn the law, no matter how many pleas and complaints they received from parents.

Ash thanked every legendary that exists and ever existed for this one small mercy. He did not know if he would be able to wait until he was older to go on his journey, though he knew many kids did, stating that they felt they were not ready. Phft, not him. He had been ready since he was four years old, old enough to understand what Pokémon were and what Pokémon training was.

Stretching, Ash sat on his bed and turned his television on to watch the upcoming Elite Four challenge matches. Nothing excited him more than watching powerful Pokémon battle after all.

This year, the winner of last year's Indigo League issued an "all-or-nothing" challenge towards the Elite Four. This meant he woud work his way up to Lance in hopes of taking the champion's title. If he lost at any point during the other three battles, he would have to start all over after six months.

The other challenge was the "replacement" challenge, where the challenger would fight their way up as far as they could go, and whoever they defeated last, should they lose, would be replaced.

The current Elite Four, naturally, used their strongest teams for this type of challenge. They did not want to lose their place, after all.

No one who has issued this challenge has gotten past Lorelei in the last decade.

That is not to say that they did not give it their all during the "all-or-nothing" challenge of course, but every person, since Lance became champion, who made it to him were quickly defeated by the dragon trainer, so they tended to use their weaker teams.

Ash watched as the challenger, Jason Mortez, defeated Lorelei and Bruno with relative ease, though he knew if those two had used their strongest Pokémon, Jason would not have stood a chance against them.

It was when he got to Agatha that he ran into problems.

"Nidorino, let's go!" Jason cried out over the TV, the medium sized Poison-type giving a cry upon its release. It scuffed the ground in preparation for battle.

"Hmph, child's play. Gengar, show him your strength," Agatha said calmly as she tossed her Gengar's Pokéball on to the field. The creepy Ghost-type gave its signature grin and laugh as it materialized.

Ash could see Jason visibly gulp and start to sweat when the camera panned back over to him. He had every right to be nervous, though. Agatha was an incredibly difficult Elite Four member to defeat. There was a reason she was right under Lance, after all.

The battle went as Ash predicted- Jason was thoroughly trounced by Agatha's powerful Ghost-types. He did put up a good fight though, even if he made stupid mistakes like using Tackle against her Gengar. Ash had no idea what he was thinking, but it could have just been the nerves.

"And there you have it folks, Jason Mortez has been stopped by Agatha. He will now have to wait six months before he can challenge the Elite Four again," the announcer stated, and Jason sighed as he returned his Altaria.

The crowd went silent as Agatha walked over to her defeated opponent, stopping in front of him in her signature pose.

"I don't say this to a lot of trainers, but you have a lot of potential, sonny. Come back when you've trained your Pokémon more and perhaps you will defeat me," she complimented.

"Thanks, Agatha," Jason replied, smiling shakily. The crowd around him clapping in respect.

"However, that was a pathetic battle you gave me today. Next time, lose the nerves and be more confident, or you will _never_ get to Lance." With that, she turned around and walked out of the stadium, Jason's shocked expression and now silent crowd following her.

Ash snorted at Jason's expression. _'Well, she's not wrong. He made way too many mistakes because of how nervous he was.'_ A knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see his mother standing there with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.

"Ash Ketchum, it's almost 11:30, why aren't you in bed? You have to be up early to get your Pokémon, you know."

"Sorry, mom, I was watching the Elite Four challenge. Plus, I'm too excited to sleep!" His mom sighed at his declaration.

"Alright, get in bed and lay on your stomach," Delia said, and Ash complied. He knew what she was going to do, it had been something she used to do when he was younger and could not fall asleep. It worked every time.

Quickly turning off the TV, he got under the covers and laid on his stomach. He soon felt a soft and gentle hand rubbing soothing circles on his back as his mother began humming a familiar lullaby.

He was out like a light in minutes.

* * *

The next morning, Ash awoke rather abruptly, turning his head to look at the Voltorb clock on his night stand. He panicked as it read 11:45.

"Ahh, I'm late!" He shouted, forgoing changing his clothes and charged out of his room, almost tripping over himself going down the stairs.

"Morning Ash, I-" Delia started before her son interrupted as he ran past her.

"SorrymomI'mlategottarun," Ash shouted in one breath as he flew out the front door. Delia looked at the open front door and then at the clock above the TV in confusion.

"But... It's only 7:15."

The young trainer-to-be ran up the steps to Professor Oak's lab, stopping to catch his breath for a few seconds, before hastily knocking rather loud on the door. Soon after the aged professor opened the door with a look of surprise on his face.

"Ash? What are you doing here so early?" Oak asked in astonishment. That question made Ash's eyes bug out.

"Early? Professor, it's 11:45!" Oak blinked and then chuckled.

"I think you've got your times mixed up m'boy. It's only 7:20 in the morning."

The ten-year-old just stared blankly at the aged professor as he tried to process the information that he was _early_ rather than _late_.

"No matter, Ash. Come inside and we'll get you your first Pokémon," Oak stated and stepped back inside his lab, Ash eagerly following behind him after snapping out of his thoughts.

He could not believe it, he was about to his first Pokémon ever! One that was registered under him and _not_ the Viridian Pokémon Academy. His whole body was buzzing with excitement as Professor Oak led him into the area where he kept the Pokémon that he gave out to new trainers. The professor hit a switch and a pedestal rose from the floor, opening its glass dome and revealing three Pokéballs within it.

"Right, as I'm sure you know, your choices from me are Bulbasaur, the gentle Grass and Poison-type Pokémon; Charmander, the feisty Fire-type; and Squirtle, the hardy Water-type. You may only choose _one_ , so choose wisely," Oak explained, letting out a secret smile when Ash turned around to look at the three Pokéballs.

The trainer-to-be was conflicted, naturally. All three of these Pokémon would be amazing partners to start out with, and in time, be any trainer's most powerful Pokémon, but which one should he choose? Each one had their pros and cons, just like any Pokémon.

Bulbasaur was a versatile fighter, capable of dishing out powerful attacks and status inflicting moves. It was fairly bulky and able to take a lot of hits as well. The Grass and Poison-type was the easiest of the three to raise and train as well. On top of all of that, it was the only one out of the three to have the fewest cons attached to it, aside from its slower speed as it evolved and near-lack of moves outside of the Grass and Poison-typing.

Still, even if it was not the most popular choice, for some reason, it was a viable option to choose from.

Next was Squirtle, the actual tank of the three. It could take attacks like a boss and throw them right back at their opponent with just as much power, if not more. It had a decent variety of attacks and moves it could learn as well, including Dragon Pulse! Squirtle was a pretty easy Pokémon to raise as well. Not as easy as Bulbasaur, but still fairly easy. Its biggest downfall was its speed. Being built like a tank, it was incredibly slow on land. It could be circumvented with the right training and moves, but it was not something that happened overnight. It would be worth it, however.

Not a bad choice in the least.

The last option, however, was the most popular and infamous Kanto Pokémon- Charmander. It was a powerhouse of a Pokémon, especially as it evolved, and could unleash powerful attacks upon their opponents. It was no tank, like Squirtle, but it could take a fair few hits before being taken down. The biggest downside to it, however, was their feisty and arrogant attitude that only grew worse as they evolved. They were incredibly difficult to raise. But, if you could gain their trust and respect and train them right, they would be the most invaluable partner you could ever have.

Ash was up to the task of raising such a Pokémon if he chose Charmander, but it would be a long road to his goals if he did so. Still, it would be worth it.

He was well versed in these three Pokémon as they had covered them extensively in school. They were Kanto's most popular Pokémon after all, it would have been a crime if they had not covered them.

Ash studied the three Pokéballs with intense eyes, weighing his choices. He still did not notice the secret, all-knowing smile the professor had on his face as he hummed to himself, debating over which one to choose.

After a few minutes of internal debate, he slowly reached out a hand towards one of the Pokéballs, but stopped halfway there, eyebrows furrowed. Something did not _feel_ right in choosing one of these Pokémon. It was as if none of them were truly meant for him. It was an odd feeling, but he went with it.

"Professor?" Ash started.

"Yes, Ash?" Oak answered, the smile dropping to a more casual one.

"I know this may sound odd, but would you happen to have any _other_ Pokémon I could choose from?" Ash asked. He knew regional professors tended to have back-up Pokémon for trainers, just in case. It was something they only spent a very small amount of time on in school. It was in the chapter where they studied Pokemon Professors, both the currents ones and the past ones, as well as the profession itself.

"I certainly do, but why do you ask? You weren't late, or were a last minute trainer, after all."

"I know, but for some odd reason, these three don't feel right for me, you know?"

"Hmmm, understandable. Well, I only have one other Pokémon to give out right now, the others were sent to my colleagues as they needed them for some of their trainers," Oak explained, though it was a huge lie. Not that he would _ever_ tell the young man that, of course. He had plenty of spare Pokémon to give out, but if he wanted Ash's future to be what it was in his own past, then he had to lie. After all, the pre-teen very well could choose a completely different Pokémon, and that would throw the future, and the past, into whack.

"Oh, yeah, sure, that's okay," Ash said. Though he thought to himself, _if I don't feel like this is the Pokémon for me either, I'll just choose from the main three._

Nodding, Professor Oak left the room to retrieve the mystery Pokémon. Ash twiddled his thumbs and looked around the lab as he waited. So many interesting things to look at and _touch_ , though he forcibly restrained himself. Last thing he wanted to do was break something as the equipment looked rather expensive!

A few moments later, the professor returned with a Pokéball in hand.

"Well, here she is, m'boy. I hope you like her. She's a bit older and stronger than most beginning Pokémon I give out, but she's friendly and energetic, so I don't see any issue hopefully giving her to you," he explained, holding out the unmarked Pokéball towards Ash.

Ash gently grabbed the Pokéball, and, taking a deep breath, opened the Pokéball to reveal his first friend and partner for life. He hoped.

What materialized from the ball was _not_ something he was expecting. His eyes went wide as he stared into the friendly, deep, ocean blue eyes of the Pokémon staring up at him from the floor.

"Is that a Joltik?!" He exclaimed in shock. Said Pokémon chirped and danced a bit in happiness. Ash knew what a Joltik was from school, of course. It was a Pokémon that originated in Unova, but has since spread out over the entire globe. They were rather uncommon Pokémon to find in the wild, and highly underrated Electric-types. He had seen them, and their evolution Galvantula, on TV before. They were incredibly fast and powerful Pokémon, but were wildly unpopular because they were spiders, and thus also a Bug-type. Ash did not care though, a Pokémon was a Pokémon, in his eyes.

"Indeed it is, Ash. I caught her a couple of months ago, as she was hanging a web around my wires outside. She put up quite the fight too!" Joltik chirped in agreement to that as she stared up at Ash and studied him.

Ash blinked as he suddenly noticed something. "Hey, she's a bit large, isn't she? The text books said they typically grow to be about four or five inches long. If I remember correctly."

"Ah, well, that's the males that are that small, Ash. Males are the ones you see most often in the wild, so it's no wonder they would put that in the school books. Females are more elusive, even if they are bigger. This girl here is a foot long, very normal for her age. Once she grows another foot, she'll be ready to shed her exoskeleton and evolve." Joltik's blue eyes sparkled at the word "evolve".

"Wow, how big will she be when she evolves, professor?"

"Oh, about six or seven feet long I'd wager. Quite big, considering males only get to be about two or three feet in length."

Ash whistled at that and knelt down to greet the friendly Pokémon. "Hi, Joltik, my name's Ash! I want to become the most powerful Pokémon trainer in the world, but to do that, I need partners and friends by my side. What do you say?" He greeted and held out his hand, waiting. He felt a connection to this Pokémon from the moment he held her ball in his hand. He only hoped she would accept him as her trainer, and as a partner.

Joltik stared deeply into Ash's brown eyes, judging him. Ash held his breath, but released it shortly after as the little spider gave a squeal and, quite rapidly, sprinted up his arm and perched atop his head. Ash knew they were fast from TV, but _wow_ , it was different experiencing it firsthand.

"Well, I can see you two are going to get along great! Before you go though, I need to give you your Pokédex and Pokéballs," Oak said, and went over to his desk, pulling out said items, and handed them to Ash.

The Pokedex he was handed was a sleek, dark red color and looked highly advanced for what it was. He knew about the Rotomdex and how advanced _it_ was, but he had always been partial to the good old fashioned ones, even if they were less convenient in some ways.

"It's no Rotomdex, I'm afraid, but it's just as advanced in many ways," Oak stated.

"Oh that's alright, Professor Oak, I prefer these kind anyway," Ash reassured, flipping the Pokédex this way and that, studying the outside of it before flipping it open to look at the inside.

"Just remember, Ash, that while the Pokédex is an encyclopedia, among many things, it also contains your ID and trainer's license. So try not to lose or break it," Oak explained, a serious look on his face.

"Of course, professor. I'll take care of it, no worries," Ash said, attempting to instinctively put the Pokédex and Pokéballs in his pockets, but failing when he suddenly realized he was still wearing his pajamas. Eyes going wide, he blushed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, being careful not to jostle Joltik. "Um, you wouldn't happen to have a bag, would you? Heh heh..."

* * *

"Mom, I'm back!" Ash called as he walked through the front door of his home, Joltik still firmly attached to the top of his head, and a small paper bag in his left hand. Said Pokémon's blue eyes were roving over the new environment her young trainer had brought her into, curious about the way it looked. It was way different than any Pokémon den or the lab, that was for sure.

Human dens sure were weird, she decided. Nice, and definitely large, but weird.

"Oh, Ash, you're back? You sure went flying out the door earlier, you had me a bit worried," Delia stated, coming out the kitchen, a pleasant aroma of breakfast following her. It caused Ash's stomach to rumble in hunger.

"Sorry mom, I thought I was late picking up my Pokémon," he replied, looking a bit sheepish.

"Ash, you know I would have woken you up in time! And I- oh, who is that cutie?" Delia asked, cutting herself off as she finally noticed the yellow Pokémon perched atop her son's head. Joltik gave a series of happy clicks and chirps at being called "cute".

"That's Joltik! She's the one I got from Professor Oak," Ash explained, reaching up to softly run his hand through her silky, yellow hairs. She closed her eyes in contentment and gave the spider equivalent of a purr.

Delia walked over and stroked Joltik as well, said Pokémon feeling like she was on Cloud Nine.

"Well, she is absolutely adorable! Alright, we'll talk more over breakfast, so the two of you scoot yourselves into the kitchen," Delia jokingly commanded, Ash eagerly complying. The smell had been driving him nuts!

After piling his plate full of his mother's wonderful cooking, and pouring a generous amount of Bug-type Pokémon food that his mom kept into a bowl for Joltik, he dug in with gusto. That was one of the things he would miss about home- his mother's wonderful home-cooked meals.

Such would be part of his life as a trainer, sadly.

"So, what made you choose Joltik over Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander, Ash?" Delia asked her son. She knew he would have been the first one there to get a Pokémon, so there was no reason to choose a Pokémon outside those three.

Gulping his mouthful of food, Ash replied, "I just didn't feel like one of those Pokémon were for me, mom. I don't know what it was, but when I reached out to grab one of their Pokéballs, it felt wrong. When I asked the professor for a different Pokémon and he came back with Joltik's ball, it felt right, you know? It's hard to explain, but there was this instant connection I felt when I held her ball in my hand." Joltik let out a clicking sound in agreement. She had felt an instant connection when she laid her eyes on Ash for the first time.

"I understand, honey. Your father had felt the same way when he chose Charmander for his first Pokémon," Delia said, smiling a bit sadly at the memory of her late husband. Ash, who never got to know his father, just nodded thoughtfully. He respected the man for all the accomplishments he had achieved as a trainer and person, but he never really thought about him much. After all, he had died when he was a baby. Or so his mom said.

They never did find a body, so it was entirely possible the man was out there somewhere alive, but Ash never dwelled on it.

He would never find his father, anyway.

* * *

Ash, with Joltik now perched on top of his hat, stood at the entrance to Route 1, staring into the grassland with anticipation. He had left home just a short while ago, after a tearful goodbye with his mother. It had not been easy to say goodbye, but he knew if he wanted to get on with his life and journey, it had to be done.

Oh, and he had found out his clock's batteries had died in the middle of the night after he had gotten dressed. At least he would not have to put up with that anymore; the Pokedex had an alarm built into it, and said piece of technology ran on solar power.

 _'Speaking of the Pokédex',_ Ash thought, ' _I should probably get some information on Joltik before we head out any further.'_ Pulling the device out of his jacket's pocket, he pointed it up at Joltik, who did not even notice as she was too busy looking around at her surroundings. It beeped, signaling that it got a reading. He quickly read through the information, as he had turned off the voice function back at his house, and was rather impressed.

Skimming the general information on Joltik, Ash scrolled it down to the specific information on his Pokémon.

 _'Let's see... Length is one foot, knew that. Weight_ _is 2.5 pounds, alright. Ability is Compound Eyes, awesome! Her accuracy with attacks will be increased, if I remember right. And now her moves... String Shot, Absorb, Spider Web, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, and Bug Bite. Wow, she's got quite the arsenal!'_

Ash was quite pleased with his first friend's list of moves, though he knew there was definite room for improvement that he would work her on immediately.

 _'Alright, let's see what Joltik can learn,'_ Ash thought as he moved on to the list of moves a Joltik could learn. _'Okay, there's quite a few moves here, but I think I have the first two I want her to start on.'_

"Alright," the young trainer exclaimed while snapping his Pokédex shut gently, startling the Pokémon settled on his head, "let's get going Joltik, we have a lot to do from here on out." Joltik let out a chitter at his proclamation.

After walking for only a few short minutes, Ash spotted a Pidgey rooting around the grass for seeds and insects. Not an uncommon sight. After all, Pidgey, Rattata, and Spearow pretty much made up the vast majority of the Pokémon population on Route 1. Still, Ash grinned at the opportunity for a battle.

"Alright Joltik, this is our first battle as a team. Let's see what you can do! Go!" Joltik let out a squeal of excitement, alerting the Pidgey to their presence, and jumped down to stand in front of her trainer, rear-end sticking up in an attack pose. Getting the hint, the wild Pidgey let out a chirp and took to the air, almost immediately coming down in a dive for a Tackle attack.

"Dodge it," Ash calmly commanded, Joltik doing just that. The Pidgey swung back around and came back for round two with another Tackle.

"Use String Shot and slam it into the ground as hard as you can." Joltik did as Ash ordered, unleashing a sticky web from her rear-end that stuck to the incoming bird's chest. It let out a squawk of surprise as Joltik swung it around and slammed it into the ground in front of her rather brutally. The bird let out a deep trill of pain as it tried to stand back up and escape, but Ash was having none of it.

"Shock Wave, finish it off!" The little spider let out a clicking sound before letting loose the thin, but powerful blue bolt of electricity. The Pidgey let out a shrill cry of pain before finally giving in to the void of unconsciousness.

"Yeah alright, you did it Joltik! You were amazing!" Ash praised, picked up the little spider, and danced around with her in celebration. Joltik let out trills and clicks in happiness at the praise.

Calming down a bit, Ash put her back on top of his hat and went over to check on the Pidgey. It was still alive, thankfully, so he picked it up and moved it under a nearby bush for safety while it recovered.

Pokémon were extremely hardy creatures, it would be fine soon enough, Ash knew.

"Alright, let's get going, it's a few days walk from here to Viridian City." Joltik gave a click in acknowledgement as Ash started walking north once more.

Over the course of the next couple of days, Ash had Joltik fight a number of wild Pokémon for experience and to strengthen her current moves. Rattata, Pidgey, a few Hoothoot in the evenings, and the odd Sentret here and there during the day. He had yet to start training her on the two new moves he wanted her to learn, but she did learn Screech on her own while fighting a Rattata on the second day.

The little rat had kept dodging her attacks and it had annoyed her so much that she had started vibrating in anger, which resulted in an ear-piercing Screech attack that stopped the rat in its place. She quickly knocked it out after that.

Ash had been so proud of her for that. He researched on his Pokédex how a Pokémon like Joltik could even learn the move as they had no vocal cords. He learned that Bug-types vibrated their bodies or rubbed certain body parts together to produce sound-based attacks. Definitely not something they covered in school!

 _'Well, now that she knows Screech, she can learn Bug Buzz down the road that much quicker!'_ Ash had thought to himself after looking up the information. Many moves, even if they were not related type-wise, were still gateway moves into other, more powerful variations.

Younger Pokémon, especially those who have not evolved, tended to learn and master their attacks and abilities much quicker than their evolved forms. When someone had asked why in his class, their teacher equated it to young human children picking up certain skills, such as language, much faster than they would as an adult.

Of course, there were only certain moves some Pokémon could learn once they evolved, but that was not an issue to Ash. He planned to train his Pokémon to learn as many powerful attacks and skills (and to reach their max potential) as possible before they evolved. If they evolved, that is. Some Pokémon did not have an evolution, and some just did not want to. Though those tended to just have insecurities that he would work through with them. Ash would never force a Pokémon to evolve, but he knew they would not reach their full potential unless they did.

Ash sighed as he looked up at the sky on day three of their trek through Route 1. Fighting wild Pokémon was good and all, but he had yet to come across another trainer to battle. He was not too surprised as Route 1 was typically traveled by trainers and non-trainers from Pallet Town, so there was not much in the way of human traffic, so to speak.

One other thing he had yet to come across was Spearow. It was rather odd as they were usually all over Route 1. Not that he was too upset by this, those birds were nasty little creatures. They were highly territorial and aggressive and did not take kindly to strangers in their territory.

"Speak of the devil...," Ash mumbled as he spotted said devil-bird twenty feet in front of him and Joltik. Joltik raised her hackles at the sight of the Spearow, ready to fight at Ash's command. "No, Joltik, we're gonna try and avoid this one," Ash whispered to her as he felt her tighten her legs around his head in preparation to jump. She relaxed slightly, but was still prepared, which Ash was thankful for.

"Alright, let's back up a bit and give it a wide berth, then we'll go around it. Let's keep an eye on it though, they are very unpredictable Pokémon." Ash slowly walked backwards, him and Joltik never taking their eyes off of the bird, who was rooting around in the ground for worms and insects. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow were strictly insectivores and carnivores, which attributed to their aggressive behavior. Spearow and Fearow were great hunters and would kill anything they could, including humans who had no protection against them.

Walking a good thirty feet or so around the Spearow, Ash thought they were in the clear and gave a silent sigh of relief. Spearow had a pretty poor sense of hearing, but their eyesight and sense of smell were tremendous. They must have been downwind of it, thankfully.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him that day. A loud sound to the right of him, caused by a pair of fighting Rattata running by, gave them away. The Spearow, hearing the loud noises, turned in Ash and Joltik's direction. Ash froze in fear as the bird's cruel-looking eyes locked on to him, and more importantly, on to Joltik.

You may be asking why would anyone be afraid of one little bird, no matter how aggressive, if they had a Pokémon for protection on them? Well, one bird would not be an issue, but a whole flock of said aggressive bird? That would be an issue. A big issue. One Ash knew he would be facing as soon as the Spearow released a loud call to arms, which it did as soon as it spotted the two of them.

"Rrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww!" Came the terrifying caw.

"RUN!" Ash shouted in a panic. "RUN JOLTIK, GO!" Joltik, not questioning the order, leaped from the top of his head and sprinted as fast as she could down the path, Ash following her as fast as he could go.

The sound of many, many wings grew closer, as did the cacophony of caws from multiple Spearow. Ash's fear for his life grew in intensity as the birds neared. He knew Joltik would be safe, she could easily outrun them with her speed, but not him. When he felt that first peck on the back of his head, it caused him to stumble and fall on to the ground with a cry of pain.

The Spearow took advantage of his prone state and dive-bombed him with wings, beaks, and talons without mercy. The only thing Ash could instinctively think to do at a time like this was to cry out one word.

"MOMMY!"

Joltik, some ways up the path, heard his cry and immediately turned around to the horrible sight of her friend and trainer being viciously attacked by the flock of Spearow. She could even see some blood on the ground.

A righteous _fury_ that she had never felt before surged through her. She would _kill_ these birds for this! Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she began to unleash Shock Wave after Shock Wave upon the murderous birds, putting as much power as she could behind each one. As more of them fell, the birds finally took notice of her presence, but she was not going to give them an inch to retaliate.

She started vibrating as hard as she could while circling the mob, letting loose a powerful Screech that immobilized a vast majority of the Spearow as they cried out in pain and fell to the ground. She shot Spider Web after Spider Web to keep them from escaping as the sticky substance locked their legs and wings together. She electrocuted each and every one of them until she was sure they were dead.

Joltik must have downed at least thirty of the nasty little beasts before the rest of them flew away in fear and defeat. Breathing heavily from the exertion, the little spider crawled over to Ash, who was curled up in a little ball, shaking and crying. She nudged him a bit in concern, but he just curled up tighter. Making her clicking sound, hoping he would respond to that, did nothing either. Her last resort? A tiny jolt of electricity.

That snapped him out of it.

"Ah! Joltik, what the he- Joltik?! What are you... huh?" Ash finally noticed his surroundings, and the thirty-some odd dead Spearow laying around him. Some still crackling with electricity as it coursed through their bodies, while others were tied up in thick, sticky webbing. Confused, and emotionally drained, the young trainer wiped his face of dirt and tears, grimacing as blood was mixed in from the cuts and gouges on his hands and arms.

"You... you did this, Joltik?" Ash asked, and his first partner gave a little body wiggle as an affirmative. Gratitude and love coursed through his body. "You saved me..." Ash murmured and he gently picked up his Pokémon and hugged her to his chest, both ignoring the blood for now. "Thank you, thank you so much. You risked your own life for mine, even when I gave you the chance to escape. I'll never be able to repay you." Joltik disagreed with that, but it was not like she could tell him, so she accepted the hug with relish.

Ash released his Pokémon from his grip and stood up on shaking legs, limping over to the river he knew was nearby to wash up. Joltik loyally followed him to make sure he would not fall prey to anything else.

Stripping out of his clothes as carefully as he could, he waded into the river and started washing, hissing in pain as the cold water ran over his injuries. Quickly getting out, he dug into his, weirdly undamaged, backpack and pulled out some fresh clothes. Ash knew he needed to dress his wounds first, however. As he started to pull out his first aid kit, he suddenly remembered reading about the amazing healing and preservative properties of Pokémon web and silk sometime last year.

"Hey, Joltik? Do you think you could wrap my wounds with your String Shot?" Joltik started at him in question, not caring one bit about her trainer's nudity. "Just trust me on this, it'll help me better than the man-made stuff I have for now." Giving the spider equivalent of a shrug, she turned around and shot a weak String Shot out of her rear, Ash catching it and gently pulling more out as he wrapped his injured body in the sticky, but smooth substance.

A few minutes later he was done, and he quickly got dressed before some stranger or strangers came by and saw him butt naked by the river (Joltik had quickly dipped in the river to wash herself off while he was dressing).

"Okay, let's get going. The sooner we get to Viridian City, the better," Ash proclaimed, and picked up his backpack, Joltik climbing back on to her favorite perch- his head. He soon arrived back at the area where he was attacked and glared heatedly at the dead Spearow in pure hatred. He used to love all Pokémon, but Ash now had one he hated more than anything else in this world.

Even still, he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. Swiftly, he opened up his backpack and pulled out a smaller bag. Joltik looked on in confusion, and gave a chirp in question.

"It's an expandable preservation bag. It can hold hundreds of items and keep them fresh for years. I got it as a gift from school for being the top student of the year," Ash explained, chuckling a bit at Gary's reaction at being beaten out of the top spot. By two points no less. "We're going to keep these Spearow for emergency food. This way they'll be good for _something_."

Quickly gathering all the Spearow, leaving a couple for some wild Pokémon to take advantage of, Ash took off for Viridian City once more, limping slightly along the way.

He never noticed the pair of eyes looking at him and Joltik from the treetops nearby with pure malice. The one Spearow who stayed back from the fight vowed he would get revenge on that human and his pesky little electric spider. If not for his flock, then for his pride as a leader.

It may be years from now, but one day he would.

He would see to it personally.

* * *

Viridian City loomed over the horizon as Ash approached it after hours of walking. He gazed at it in relief, glad to have _finally_ arrived at his destination. He was tired, sore, dirty, and in desperate need of a shower and medical attention.

As he approached the gates, a hand suddenly shot out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed the back of his jacket, halting him in place. Joltik, having become super protective of her trainer, started sparking threateningly as she whipped around and glared at the human who _dared_ to touch her Ash. The hand withdrew immediately and the human put their hands up in a peace gesture.

"Whoa, easy there, I mean no harm! I just need to see some- Ash?"

"Officer Jenny?" Ash questioned as he turned around and finally saw who had grabbed him.

"I'm sorry Ash, I didn't realize it was you! You've got quite the protective Pokémon there," Jenny stated, as she gazed at the still glaring Joltik.

"Easy Joltik, she's a friend," Ash said in a soothing voice, reaching up to gently stroke along her back. Joltik calmed down, but still stared warily at the female human before her. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize she would be so protective of me, though considering..." he trailed off in memory.

"It's alright, I know some Pokémon can be- good gracious Ash, what the heck happened to you?!" Jenny exclaimed, finally noticing the young man's condition. Ash grimaced as he recounted to Jenny what happened a few hours ago.

"Ugh, those damn Spearow. I've told the league time and time again to send some of their high skilled trainers to capture and relocate those birds to a trainer safe area, but they always just brush me off. Actually..." Jenny trailed off, as she pulled out a Xtransceiver. Ash looked at it in wonder, he had always wanted one for himself, but they were extremely expensive.

"Do you mind if I took some pictures? I want to show those idiots what these birds have done to you, and could possibly do to any future beginning trainer," Jenny asked, holding up the device in front of her.

"Uh, sure. Do you want me to unwrap some of Joltik's web?"

"No no, I'll have the doctor at the Viridian Medical Center take the pictures once you're in their care. No need to aggravate your injuries," Jenny said, quickly take photos from all angles. Once she was done, she put her Xtransceiver away.

"Officer Jenny? Don't you usually put those on your wrist?" Ash asked.

"Yes, but in my profession, it's better to keep it tucked away safely so it doesn't get damaged. Right, you're coming with me young man. We need to get you to the hospital pronto," Jenny stated, switching gears in the middle of her explanation. Ash gulped. He liked Jenny a lot. Her driving? Not so much.

Ash clung to the side car of Jenny's motorcycle for dear life, Joltik having moved to cling tightly to the front of his shirt for safety. They had arrived at the medical center just a few moments ago, but neither Ash nor Joltik had budged from the side car, still in fear from the crazy ride there.

"Alright you two, out," Jenny ordered, and Ash slowly, and cautiously, got out of the side car. Jenny rolled her eyes as both Ash and Joltik started kissing the ground.

He was admitted quickly after entering the medical center, as human hospitals were not as busy as Pokémon Centers these days. The webbing was removed from his body, the doctor praising him for his thinking on using his own Pokémon's web silk to prevent possible necrosis caused by infection.

As asked by Officer Jenny, the doctor took photos of his injuries and sent them to her Xtransceiver as requested. Some of them were a lot worse than Ash first imagined them to be, a lot of them requiring stitches and some human potion spray to accelerate the healing process.

Joltik had been by his side the entire time, warily watching the doctor as he worked on Ash's injuries all over his body. He had been forced to strip down, much to his embarrassment, but it turned out one cruel Spearow had managed to land a nasty cut right in his groin area that Ash had not even realized was there. Oh he realized it once the healing spray was applied to the area and he screamed bloody murder at the intense pain, the doctor wincing in sympathy and apologizing. The male nurse assisting him had to restrain Joltik from attacking the doctor, but it was not easy; Joltik was a lot stronger than she looked. She calmed down once Ash explained, in a strained voice, that it was not the doctor's fault, it was the Spearows'.

A couple of hours later Ash was released with stern instruction on how to take care of himself and his remaining injuries that did not immediately fade with the use of the potion. The limp he had would go away in time, which Ash was thankful for.

"Alright, let's get to the Pokémon Center and get a room for the night, I think we're both exhausted from this day," Ash said, yawning loudly. Joltik's eyes drooped as her adrenaline finally wore off, and she would have nodded off if Officer Jenny had not appeared once again.

"I'm sorry to delay you again, Ash, but I just want to warn you about the Team Rocket sightings that have been going on lately. That's originally why I stopped you in the first place, to see your ID and confirm your identity because of them. Just be careful out there and be sure to expand your team as soon as possible, you hear me?"

"Of course Officer Jenny, I'll be careful. And no worries on me expanding my team, I was planning on capturing another Pokémon or two before I got to Pewter City," Ash replied, a serious, but sleepy look on his face.

"Alright, well, you look exhausted, so get to the Pokémon Center and get some sleep, mister!"

"Yes ma'am!"

A half hour later he was snuggled under the covers of his temporary bed, Joltik nestled against his side, fast asleep. He was exhausted, but he could not fall asleep immediately, so Ash laid there, softly stroking Joltik's silky body, lost in thought.

 _'What happened today must_ never _happen again. I was so weak... And if Joltik had been any younger and even more inexperienced, we both could have been dead today. This will not happen again, not while I'm still alive. We're going to train harder, train more, and show no mercy to our opponents. The world will know what true power looks like when the time comes.'_

With that final thought, Ash finally drifted off to sleep, a peaceful, yet determined, look on his face.

END


	2. The Spiky Perfectionist

Ash slowly woke up, blinking as the sun's beams of light filtered through the curtain of his temporary room. The first thing he noticed was how sore he was. Very sore.

Groaning, he carefully sat up, taking care not to jostle Joltik, who was still snoozing away at his side. Reaching over the side of the bed, he pulled up his backpack and opened it to retrieve the medicine the hospital had prescribed to him. And a water bottle of course. Popping the cap on the pills, he grabbed one and swallowed it down with water, grimacing at the awful taste. _'Ugh, I hate pills.'_

Picking up the medicated bath stuff that he did not know the name of, he eased himself out of the bed, hissing slightly in pain, and limped his way to the bathroom. After doing his business, he ran the tub with warm water, dumping a bit of the medicated bubble bath in under the running faucet.

He had forgone a bath last night as all he had wanted to do was sleep.

Ash rid himself of his clothes and sunk down into the water, yelping at the initial sting of the medicine over his wounds. The sound had woken up Joltik, who came running into the bathroom on high alert.

"I'm alright, girl, it's just the medicine doing its job," Ash told her, calming her down instantly. Ash sighed. He hoped she would calm down in the future. The overprotective-ness was cute at first, but now it was a little aggravating. He would not yell at her though, this was something she would have to work out on her own.

Slipping down further into the water and closing his eyes, Ash started relaxing as the medicine and warm water started to sooth his pain. He would not always get to use this stuff as he would be traveling a lot, so he was going to take advantage of it while he could.

Eventually, as in a couple of weeks, he would not need it anymore, but he planned on keeping the bottle just in case.

Hearing a small _scritch scritch_ sound, Ash opened his eyes to see Joltik climbing up the side of the tub.

"Joltik, what are you doing?" Ash asked, as his first Pokémon managed to make it up on the rim. She started to slowly crawl her way towards Ash before she lost her footing and slipped right into the tub water.

"Ah, Joltik! Ha ha, what made you think that was a good idea?" Ash laughed at his Pokémon's misfortune and the Pokémon in question quickly crawled on top of Ash's head, shaking off the water in indignation.

"Alright, I need to finish my bath, you can roost on my head afterward, I promise," Ash said, gently grabbing Joltik and setting her down on the floor. She clicked and chirped in displeasure at the action, but Ash ignored her.

Fifteen minutes later, he was ready to go. The young trainer was refreshed after his medicated bath and he was eager to hit the road. Viridian Forest was at least a week's worth of walking, so he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

On top of that, most of his Pokémon's training would take place in the forest. It was the perfect environment for it. There were tons of wild Pokémon and tons of trainers usually traveling through it as well, so it was perfect practice. Though he still needed to devise a training regimen for Joltik, and any other Pokémon he would get before Pewter City.

Before that, however, he had a couple of places to stop.

* * *

After having breakfast in the Center's cafeteria, and Joltik getting a quick checkup, Ash and Joltik exited the Pokémon Center, which was just starting to get busy, after turning in the key for the room. The young trainer had only planned on staying in Viridian City for a day, after all. He had been coming here for the past five years, there was not anything new to see.

Taking a path through the city that had been ingrained in him, Ash finally arrived at a pristine-looking building with "Viridian Pokémon Academy" lettered across the top of the entrance gates. It was a newer building, which looked more like a modern manor than a school, with various other buildings scattered around the seven acre campus.

The place was enormous, and for good reason. There were multiple battlefields all around the place, several training gyms with exercise equipment for both human and Pokémon, dorms for those who wanted to live on campus, a fairly large cafeteria area, and many other buildings for various uses.

It had been a little daunting to navigate when he first started learning here, but Ash quickly got used to it and learned his way around. He had been thankful the school had been completely free, as it was paid for by donations, subsidies, and taxes, not that he understood how any of that worked, but it was what he had been told. It was a public school, basically.

Unlike the Pokémon Technical Institute, or Pokémon Tech, for short, which was a private school for the more wealthy among society. That school had been around long before the Law of Schooling was put into place by the Goodshows, and was a huge inspiration for the now required public ones for those seeking to be trainers.

Ash had, and still, preferred his own school as he got to meet a lot of people from all walks of life. From the incredibly rich (many of which whom were snobs, in his humble opinion) to the unfortunate people who lived in poverty, just wanting a better life for themselves. He often found those people to be the nicest and most giving among all of his classmates, though there were always exceptions of course. He had come across a couple of poor kids from other classes who were downright bullies, but they had been taken care of since the school had a strict "no bullying" policy.

He had met a few wealthy kids who were friendly as well, and more than willing to help out those in need, so Ash supposed it went both ways.

 _'Alright, enough reminiscing,'_ the preteen thought to himself, as he went to open the gates to the school. A few questioning clicks and chirps from Joltik made him pause for a moment.

"It's the school I graduated from to become a trainer, Joltik. I just figured I would visit it one last time." With that, Ash entered the campus and started walking up the path towards the main building where all the classrooms were held.

Ash did not spot anyone roaming around, which did not surprise him. It was a little after nine in the morning, which meant the lecture classes were going on. Entering the building, he strolled up to the reception area and cleared his throat to gain the attention of the male wheelchair-bound attendant, who seemed to currently be engrossed in his work. He had a crop of dark-brown hair that was cut rather professionally, with a mustache and short beard to match. An average-looking guy by all standards, though he was anything but.

"Huh? Oh, hello, how can I help you? Ah, it's you Mr. Ketchum. Didn't you graduate just a week or so ago? What are you doing back here?"

"Hi, Mr. Warsaw. I did, I was just wondering if I could see Ms. Blackthorn, if she is available."

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, she's on break at the moment. You can probably find her in the staffroom."

"Okay, thanks Mr. Warsaw! Enjoy your day."

"Same to you, Mr. Ketchum."

Ash shook his head as he started heading towards the staffroom. Robert Warsaw had started working at the school shortly after the young trainer started to attend it, and while he was a nice man, he was very professional about his demeanor. It had been quite the shock to him and his other classmates when he had first started, though. None of them had ever encountered anyone in a wheelchair before, let alone someone with no legs at that point in their lives.

Some kid finally had the nerve to ask him why he did not have any legs one day, and his class, plus a few from some other classes, eagerly gathered around him to listen to his story. The middle-aged man had been happy to indulge the group of curious children, and the few teenagers who had gathered around as well.

Apparently he had been a traveling trainer at one point, and a decent one to boot, if his slight bragging was anything to go off of. One day, though, he was up on Mt. Silver training his team for an upcoming league tournament for Johto, when he accidentally enraged a group of powerful Tyranitar. His Pokémon had managed to fend off a vast majority of the terrifying beasts, but one had managed to find its way to him, tearing into him and mangling his legs to the point where they could no longer be repaired.

Robert had been lucky to get out of there with his life, but it was a very close call. He had stayed conscious long enough to witness his Pokémon tearing into the beast before passing out from pain and blood-loss. The next thing he remembered after that was waking up in a hospital bed with his legs amputated. The doctors had told him there was no way they could have saved the limbs; they were simply too damaged.

He had fallen into a deep depression after that. The hospital had offered him the chance to get prosthetic legs, but he had refused. They would never replace what he lost. Not to him. At one point he had nearly given up on his life and had contemplated suicide multiple times. What was the point, he had asked himself. He could no longer travel and continue battling Pokémon, which had been his passion.

It had been his own Pokémon who had helped him out of his depression, though it definitely was not something that happened overnight. They had continued to train by themselves, and eventually encouraged him to enter the next Johto tournament. He had been reluctant, naturally, but eventually gave in, showing up to battle in his wheelchair.

The thrill of battle had managed to finally break through his funk, and he had finished in the top four. Robert had retired from battles after that, deciding to take the humble receptionist job here at the academy. Though he kept his Pokémon on him at all times, even giving demonstrations for the students from time to time.

He still refused to get prosthetic legs, even to this day.

Everyone had been enthralled by his story, many even inspired by it. It was, however, a humbling reminder that Pokémon were wild, instinctive creatures until they were tamed by capturing them.

Ash had certainly learned that lesson a day ago.

Arriving at his destination, Joltik curiously clicking and chirping atop his head the whole time, he knocked on the staffroom door, entering when he heard the soft "come in". Opening the door, he looked around and quickly spotted the person he had come to see. She sat on one of the comfortable crimson sofas, engrossed in her laptop. That was one of her quirks- if she was not doing literally anything else, her nose was in some sort of electronic device. Her favorite one being her laptop.

She was of average height at around five feet and six inches, wore her dark brown hair short to where it sat on her shoulders, and her brown eyes were set behind her square, black-framed glasses. She wore long black pants that covered the tops of her stylish black shoes, and a nice black jacket over a plain white t-shirt. She was a bit on the hefty side as well, though that did not mean squat to anyone, thankfully.

The look suited her, even if some thought she was a hidden goth of some sort, though Ash had a good feeling she was not. In all the five years that he had her as a teacher, she always preferred to wear darker clothing. She never once wore a pair of jeans either, and Ash suspected she hated them for some reason or another.

Ms. Amara Blackthorn. She was an enigma to some, but to Ash, she was the most amazing teacher he had ever had. Of course she was his main teacher, so the young black-haired trainer was a bit biased in the regard, but he never once had a single thing to complain about with the woman.

Except for the time she beat him in the school eating contest. Yeah, he still had a grudge against her for that one, but it had all been in good fun nonetheless.

Though Ash vowed his revenge against her one day, regardless.

Finally, she looked up from her computer and glanced at her visitor in the doorway, a look of surprise coming to her face.

"Oh, well, if it isn't my top student and the Master Tactician himself! What the heck are you doing back here?" She asked in her very noticeable deeper alto voice. Ash scratched his cheek in embarrassment, not noticing how tense Joltik had become after he had entered the room. He had failed to notice the two _very_ large felines curled up around each other a few feet away in an enormous cat bed that was set in a corner of the room. Joltik did not though, and she had her blue eyes trained on them in an instant.

"I'm no master tactician, Ms. Blackthorn..." Ash replied. Ever since she started calling him that, the rest of the faculty copied her, and he could never escape the moniker after that. True, he was good at battle strategies, but he would not go so far as to call himself a master at them.

"Don't be so modest Ash, you were amazing at them. One of the best students in that department." Ash was feeling flustered at her praise and squirmed a bit in discomfort. It was not that he did not enjoy praise, but she had the habit of shoving his achievements into everyone else's face. And Gary's too, for that matter. The twenty eight year old was an amazing teacher in all things Pokémon, but her boasting about certain other areas were very annoying.

Gary, though, soaked it up for all it was worth.

"Well, don't just stand there in the doorway like a moron, get in here and take a seat next to me and tell me how your adventure has been so far." Ah, yes, he had almost forgotten how outspoken and demanding she was about things.

"Uh, sure," Ash responded, quite eloquently. As he stepped further inside the staffroom, he finally took notice of the two large, cream-colored felines lounging in the far corner of the room. They both lifted their heads to look at him at last. The face of the larger one with longer whiskers lit up in recognition and happiness as its eyes landed on Ash.

Ash quickly recognized the sleepy pair of felines, and his face morphed the match the one he knew best.

"Persian!" Ash cried, and he fell to his knees with his arms wide open in invitation. Said Pokémon let out an eager meow and went bounding towards Ash.

The youthful trainer forgot one little detail, however...

"Joltik, no!" He shouted as the little spider jumped from his head in front of him protectively, unleashing a Shock Wave at Persian, who had stopped in the middle of his run. He just tilted his head to the side at the electricity hit him, shrugging off the attack as if it were just a pesky little mosquito biting him. Joltik chirped in surprise at her attack doing absolutely nothing to the cat, a fear that she had never felt before rolling through her body.

Uselessness. Incapable of protecting her trainer. She did _not_ like the feeling. She got the shock of her life, however, when she heard her trainer's next words and felt her world turn into nothingness for the first time in days.

"Joltik, return!" Ash called, and sighed as his only Pokémon was returned to her Pokéball for the first time under his care. _'Never thought I would put you back in your ball this early on.'_

"Dear lord, what was that all about?" Amara asked, still seated, though her eyes had gone wide at what had transpired. Persian, seeing that the little pest was gone, rushed at Ash once more, nearly tackling him to the ground, but Ash just grunted and held steady. He wrapped his arms around the feline in a hug, softly petting him as the Persian began to loudly purr.

"Sorry about that. Joltik is overly protective of me," Ash said, now sitting on the floor with Persian trying to curl up in his lap with poor results.

"Oh, I hadn't realized that was a Pokémon on your head at first, I thought it was some gaudy souvenir hat from the school store," his previous teacher commented with a laugh. Ash felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his head.

"Um, no, she was, mmhhrrgg, the Pokémon I got from Professor Oak," Ash replied, grunting a bit in pain when Persian started kneading into his leg. His old teacher raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really? She was your starting Pokémon, huh. I'm surprised you didn't go with one of the regular three he usually hands out."

"Yeah, they just didn't, urrrgh, feel right to me is all," Ash said, wincing as Persian's claws slightly dug into him again.

"Ah, understandable then," she responded, her face softening as she watched Persian get cuddly with Ash. "You know, he really missed you, even if you were only gone for a week or so. He's going to be heartbroken once you leave and not come back for months, or even years to see him."

The school had a system in place where they allowed you to choose three Pokémon for the entirety of your schooling career from a pool of young Pokémon that belonged to the staff. A student chose their first Pokémon days after they start, then six months later they chose their second Pokémon. Six months after the second Pokémon, they were allowed to choose their final Pokémon for the rest of their school days at the academy.

They were simply rental Pokémon in a sense, used as teaching tools for battling and care. Many students often formed a strong friendship and bond with them. Ash had been one of those who did so.

Ash had thought long and hard about the first Pokémon he would choose first, when he went into the room that had held all of the Pokémon. They had all been playing, chatting with each other, or sleeping. It had been a tough choice, but once he laid eyes on a small, sleeping Meowth that had been curled up with its siblings, he made his choice. He did not know what made him choose the tiny cat, but he was glad that he did.

He spent the first six months playing with, feeding, grooming, and of course training the Meowth kitten. In fact, he spent countless hours, even away from the school, training and teaching both himself and his tiny feline.

By the time the sixth month rolled around, the tiny Meowth was no longer tiny and was a master of his own abilities. And if Ash had anything to say about it, the strongest Pokémon amongst his classmates'.

When it came time to choose their second Pokémon, a tournament was held to determine who would get to choose first, then second, then third, and so on. It was a way to determine who had listened well in their lessons.

Ash and Meowth had been mocked from the get-go, and thus were severely underestimated by their fellow classmates and Pokémon. Well, they had showed them they were all completely wrong. The two of them had steamrolled through the competition, using Meowth's variety of elemental attacks and defensive techniques to take them down. It had left everyone, even the staff, in shock.

The only one who had given him a bit of trouble was his friend and rival, Gary, who had chosen a Treecko, which had evolved into a Grovyle at some point in the last couple of months before the tournament.

Both Pokémon had ended up on the ground panting and sweating in exhaustion, their wounds making it difficult for them to move. With a lot of encouragement from Ash, Meowth managed to fire one last weak Shadow Ball to knock the Grovyle out and secure the top spot in the tournament.

He had chosen a young, feisty female Girafarig as his second Pokémon. Many of his fellow classmates had questioned his choice, but he ignored them completely. He had had his reasons for choosing the Normal and Psychic Pokémon.

Much the same way he did with Meowth, he bonded and trained with his new Pokémon, while continuing the same routine with Meowth, and when the last six months were up, a second tournament was held. This time, he battled Gary in the early match-ups.

His rival had chosen a Magby as his second Pokémon, which had yet to evolve, and Ash had started seeing a pattern with the spiky-haired Oak. He had guessed his rival's next Pokémon would be a Water-type if his hypothesis was correct.

The battle had gone much the same way, though both Girafarig and Magby knocked each other out, resulting in a draw. The final battle had been between his Meowth and his rival's Sceptile. Ash had been a bit nervous when he saw the final evolved form of Treecko emerge from the Pokéball in Gary's hand. Still, he placed his complete trust in Meowth's capabilities, and that trust was not misplaced. It had come down to the wire, once again, but Sceptile was in the lead this time. Ash had been ready to throw in the towel to save his Pokémon from anymore harm, but the bright light of evolution from Meowth stopped him.

From the small, awkward Meowth emerged a graceful and powerful Persian, who leaped into action without any command and quickly rendered Gary's weakened Sceptile unconscious with his newly-learned U-turn.

After he chose his third and final Pokémon, a female Murkrow, whom he had evolved into a Honchkrow a year later, he had taken the training up a notch. Of course there had been plenty of bonding time in between as well.

Ash later found out Gary had chosen a Shellos, just as he had predicted.

He loved each and every Pokémon, but he knew their time together was not meant to last as the Pokémon did not belong to him. Every student was forced to turn in their three Pokémon after they finished and passed their final exam. It was done in private so each student could say goodbye to the Pokémon they had come to love and bond with over the past five years. It was just as hard on the Pokémon as it was the students, and many students had attempted to whisk away the Pokémon, keeping them hidden, but they always ended up caught as the school had a trained group of Growlithe and Arcanine to sniff such things out.

The Pokémon were often retired from battles by their owners after they were returned, or were given to family members to take care of. Sometimes they were rented out for various reasons outside the school, but regardless of where they ended up, they were typically never put into the hands of the students ever again.

Ash always thought it was extremely cruel to not let them keep the Pokémon that had become like family to the students, but there was nothing he could do about it unfortunately.

Not right now, at least.

He looked down at the happy, purring, Persian and sighed in sadness as he stroked down along his back. He was lucky Persian belonged to Ms. Blackthorn, as he was her own Persian's son (his siblings had been adopted out years ago), and thus she planned on keeping him. It meant he would be able to visit him whenever he got the chance, but it would be few and far between. He was not so lucky with Honchkrow and Girafarig, though.

"I know, I just wish we got to keep the Pokémon we trained and bonded with. It's just not fair!" Ash growled in frustration and slammed a fist into the carpeted floor below him. Persian started, meowing at him deeply in worry. Ash scratched behind his ears to distract the feline, eliciting more deep purrs.

"I agree with you. It's cruel to rip a Pokémon from someone who developed a strong bond with them. Unfortunately our hands are tied as it was the administration's decision to force the Pokémon back into the teacher's hands. For what reason I do not know, but if it were up to me, you would have been able to keep your three Pokémon. Sometimes I hate working for this place, but I enjoy teaching too much to leave, sadly."

Ash just sighed again and spent the rest of the time he had there pampering Persian.

* * *

The young trainer now sat on a bench in the nearby park, staring at Joltik's Pokéball as the screams of young children playing surrounded him.

The goodbye between him and Persian had not been easy, but it had to be done. The poor feline kept wailing as Ash left, Ms. Blackthorn following behind him to walk him to the gates.

She had returned him to his Pokéball after he attempted to drag the poor kid back into the room.

The teacher had given him some advice on some things that he had been curious about as they walked, including on how to handle his situation with Joltik.

"She's going to be overprotective of you for some time," she had told him after he explained what had happened the day before. "The best way to even handle this situation is to talk to her, otherwise she won't work to overcome her severe protectiveness. It's not going to be today, or tomorrow, hell, it may not even happen for a year or more, but she'll eventually learn she doesn't have to constantly attack everything that comes your way."

Ash sighed as he pressed the button on the front of the ball and released his high-strung Pokémon. He hated talking things out, it made him uncomfortable, but this had to be done unfortunately.

The electric spider shook herself out and then proceeded to turn this way and that, chittering madly as she took in her surroundings.

"Joltik," Ash called out softly, gaining her attention immediately. He saw the relief in her eyes as she looked at him, and he took a deep breath. He patted his lap and Joltik swiftly jumped up and landed on his legs, nuzzling his abdomen in affection. Ash chuckled a bit as she purred when he gently started running his fingers down her body, but then his face turned serious.

"Joltik, we need to talk," he said, causing the little spider to look at him curiously, and a little nervously. "It's nothing terrible, I promise. It's just... Ugh, I'm so bad at this! Look, I appreciate how protective you are of me, if it weren't for you I wouldn't even be sitting here talking to you right now, but..." Here, Ash sighed once more, trying to organize his thoughts and his nerves. Joltik gave a few clicks in confusion at her trainer's nervousness.

"Alright, I'm just going to come out and say it! You need to stop being so overprotective of me!" Joltik let out a chirp in surprise. Stop being protective, what? If she did not protect him... Well, she did not want to think about it. Suddenly, that fear she felt from before returned with a vengeance.

"I'm not saying to stop protecting me, Joltik, you just have to stop attacking everyone and everything that comes close to me. Not everyone is out to get me, I promise. But don't worry, we're going to get you nice and strong to where _no one_ can hurt you _or_ me." Joltik gave an excited chitter at that as the fear slowly ebbed away. "Just... promise me you'll let up on the overprotective-ness. I know it's not going to happen immediately, but will you promise to try?" Joltik gave affirmative chirp and climbed to sit on top of Ash's head, her favorite spot.

She would do her best to calm down her overprotective-ness, but it was not going to be easy.

Ash let out a breath of relief as he leaned back a bit to relax and enjoy the early afternoon sun. _'That was a bit easier than I thought.'_

They sat there for fifteen minutes just soaking up the sun and afternoon air, drowning out the sounds around them as they enjoyed the moment of peace with each other before Ash decided it was time to leave.

He stopped at the Poké Mart that was near the Pokémon Center to pick up some supplies. While he was not short on supplies, the young trainer thought it would not hurt to have extra just in case. Plus, he had quite a bit of money saved up from the past few years, so he splurged a bit on a few Great Balls and Ultra Balls and some of the better healing items. While it had cost him close to one hundred thousand yen, he knew it would be worth it in the long run.

He had even bought an electric blue ribbon that had caught Joltik's eye. It was pretty much damage proof, so he saw no reason why she could not have it. The happiness in her eyes as he put it on around her "neck" made it worth it.

As he was getting ready to start heading north towards Route 2 and into Viridian Forest, a bunch of kids around his age went rushing past him and Joltik, chattering excitedly. He felt Joltik tense, but relax a bit soon after. Already some progress then, that was good. He grew curious, though, when even more kids, and a couple of teenagers, went rushing by again.

Reaching out, he grabbed what looked to be a twelve-year-old by the arm and stopped him.

"Hey, what's everyone running to in such a hurry?" Ash asked.

"Huh? You mean you don't know? There's a rare Pokémon out on Route 22 challenging everyone. The first one to defeat it gets to catch it!" The kid explained, before running off once again.

Intrigued, and excited at the possibility of catching a new Pokémon for his team, Ash took off running as well, following the other kids.

Ten minutes later they all arrived at the grassy area with the Pokémon, which was already occupied by several other kids and teens, all shouting in encouragement as one girl took on the mysterious Pokémon with a Houndour.

She was losing, badly, much to the shock of the rest of the group.

"Houndour, no!" She shouted as her Pokémon let out a final yelp of pain before fainting at her feet. She sighed and returned her Pokémon, backing off to let someone else give a try at defeating the Pokémon.

Ash pushed his way to the front, much to the disgruntlement of the other kids, and stared at the mysterious Pokémon that had apparently been beating every kid who had challenged it.

Its grey, spiky body definitely triggered something in his memory, but for the life of him, Ash could not remember what the Pokémon was. So, he did the smart thing and pulled out his Pokédex, earning a few shocked and jealous stares from the others (not everyone was gifted with these highly expensive electronic devices after all).

Looking down at the screen, he finally got his answer.

A Ferroseed. A Steel and Grass-type Pokémon. And a strong one to boot if it had taken out a Fire-type without breaking a sweat. It got his blood pumping as he looked on and watched as it effortlessly took down some guy's Vulpix. It seemed like those with Fire-types were only challenging it, which would have been smart if not for the fact that the Ferroseed was kicking the crap out of every one of them.

After several minutes, it seemed as though everyone else had given up, so Ash finally took the opportunity to stand before the Ferroseed and issue a challenge. Ash knew this was no wild Pokémon, or, it had not been. It was too well trained. He did not know what could possess someone to rid of such a powerful Pokémon, but he planned on catching it for himself. He would keep, love, and treasure it like its previous trainer should have done.

"Joltik, go!" Ash called, and twisted his hat around after she had jumped off of his head. "This isn't going to be easy, but I believe in you." Joltik gave a click in response.

The sudden laughing of the crowd made him turn around and glare at the group. "What?!"

"You think you can beat that thing with a Joltik? You're nuts!" One kid in a red shirt said, and Ash just smirked, much to the confusion of the crowd.

"Type match-ups aren't everything. Just watch. Joltik, Spider Web!" Joltik fired it at such a speed that the Ferroseed had no time to respond. It was covered in the sticky substance, preventing its escape, but to Ash's surprise it started shining silver and spun out of the web with ease.

"Gyro Ball..." Ash muttered. Well, Spider Web and String Shot by themselves were out of the question. Before Ash could think of something else, the spiky seed's spikes glowed white and unleashed a barrage of tiny seeds.

"Dodge!" Joltik ran to the right, evading the Bullet Seed with ease, but the Ferroseed did not let up and shined silver once more before letting loose what looked like a metallic mirror, which the little spider dodged without command. _'Mirror Shot. It's got quite the arsenal so far, and those attacks are perfectly executed. I need to go on the offensive or we'll just be dodging the whole time. Ferroseed seems stationary and doesn't move, we'll use the to our advantage.'_

"Joltik, time for some strategy! Use String Shot and electrify it with Thunder Wave!" Though a bit confused, Joltik did as she was told and shot a String Shot at Ferroseed, quickly using a Thunder Wave and sending the current down the rope of sticky silk.

The seed had attempted to put up a Protect, but Joltik was just too fast for it and the two attacks connected, causing the Ferroseed to spasm as it became paralyzed. The crowd behind him were in shock. No one else had managed to land a hit on the Ferroseed at all!

Joltik quickly released the String Shot and glared at her foe, who had become quite angry at this point. To the surprise of everyone, it jumped up and began another Gyro Ball, heading towards Joltik at an incredible speed. Before she could dodge, it slammed right into her, causing her to let out a deep chirp of pain as she was sent flying.

"Joltik!" Ash cried out in panic, though his worry was eased as she got right back up and charged at the Ferroseed, her small fangs glowing a yellowish-green as she bit into the seed with a Bug Bite. She backed off immediately, though, when the pain from its barbs got to her.

That gave Ash an idea. "Use Screech, and don't let up!" He knew his plan would hurt her a bit, but if it knocked out the Ferroseed and secured his win, it would be worth it. No pain, no gain, as he was always told.

Joltik shook off the slight pain and began vibrating, the sound waves slamming into the Ferroseed. It reeled back in pain as the waves traversed on and through its body, but it broke through its haze of pain and struck Joltik with a Bullet Seed, causing quite a bit damage as she cried out in pain. _'Definitely have to work on her defenses and endurance.'_

"Shake it off, Joltik! Get in and use a Bug Bite and stay latched on!" Her trainer was crazy at times, she decided, but did as she was told. The pain from the spikes hurt a lot, but she persisted, for Ash. The Ferroseed attempted to get her off, but paralysis struck and it was unable to move.

"Now, Shock Wave, finish it off!" Her body crackled with blue electricity and struck home, causing massive damage due to the proximity. The Ferroseed closed its eyes in pain and fell over, Joltik immediately jumping away, feeling quite exhausted. Her body hurt all over too. That seed's attacks sure packed a punch!

"Yes!" Ash shouted in glee and tossed a Pokéball at the fallen Ferroseed. His aim was true and the Pokémon was sucked in. It shook several times, rather violently, before it settled and gave a soft "ding" at a successful capture. Ash gave a whoop before running over and picking up his new Pokémon.

The crowd behind him was giving him cheers and whistles.

* * *

A couple of hours later, and a visit to the Pokémon Center, and Ash was ready to hit the road. It was already four o'clock in the afternoon and he felt as he had spent enough time in Viridian City.

After getting back his Pokémon from Nurse Joy, he introduced himself and Joltik to Ferroseed. It, or rather he, as Ash had found out, was accepting of him as his new trainer. He would never get to hold his new Pokémon, not until he bought special gloves to do so, but Ash was alright with that. He could show his affection in other ways.

Just as he exited Viridian City on to Route 2, a very familiar voice called out to him from behind.

"Well, if it isn't Ashy-boy."

Said "Ashy-boy" turned around with a grimace at his nickname, but smiled upon seeing the spiky, brown hair and purple shirt of his friend and rival.

"Hello, Gary."

END


	3. Ferroseed's Frustration

"Hello, Gary."

"Heh, didn't think you'd ever get ahead of me, Ash, but that's going to change," Gary said, with a confident smirk on his face, tossing a Pokéball up and down in his hand.

"Oh I don't know about that, I've always been one step ahead of you." Gary growled as his smirk dropped.

"You just got lucky in school, Ashy-boy, but luck's only going to take you so far!"

"You're right, I've always been lucky, lucky that I got more talent than you," Ash retorted with, laughing at the angry scowl on his friend's/rival's face. Ash always enjoyed this back and forth he had with Gary; it was fun.

"That's it! You and me are going to battle, right here, right now!" Ash just shrugged casually.

"Sure, why not."

"Tch. How many Pokémon do you have, so I know how many will have to fall before my might!" Ash just rolled his eyes. Gary had always been a bit... eccentric. It's what made him a thrill to beat in battle.

"I have two." Gary's mouth dropped at that.

"Only two Pokémon?! What are you, some kind of amateur? I already have six Pokémon, but I'll play your game, Ketchum. A two-on-two." Ash could not believe the young Oak standing across from him. Six Pokémon, already? It had only been four days since their journey began.

Well, Ash was going to show him that quality beat quantity by a long shot. Though he still had to be careful, Gary was no pushover.

They quickly stepped away from each other to allow some room for the battle.

"I'll go first, since I doubt you have anything to counter this Pokémon. Sandshrew, go!" Gary shouted, throwing out the Pokéball he had been tossing up and down in his right hand.

"A Sandshrew? Where the heck did you get that Pokémon, Gary? They don't live around here," Ash asked, surprised to see the yellow pangolin Pokémon.

"Ha, wouldn't _you_ like to know? Quit your yapping and choose a Pokémon already, Ashy-boy."

"Ugh, fine, Mr. Impatient." Grabbing Ferroseed's Pokéball off of his belt, he tossed it gently on to the ground in front of him, the ball popping open to reveal the spiky seed.

"A Ferroseed? They aren't found around Kanto, where the hell did you get it?" Gary asked, a look of shock on his face.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know," Ash countered, smirking as Gary growled. _'Ha ha, don't like your own words used against you, do you?'_

"Whatever. Sandshrew, go with a Rollout!" Giving a cry, Gary's Pokémon obeyed and curled up in a ball, and started to rapidly roll towards Ferroseed.

_'Okay, let's see... Ferroseed knows Ingrain, Mirror Shot, Protect, Gyro Ball, Bullet Seed, Self-Destruct, and Iron Defense, if I remember what the Pokédex told me back in the Pokémon Center. Not too bad, for a start, but we're definitely going to have to increase his movepool soon. It should work fine for now. I don't plan on using Ingrain like intended until I can teach him to release his roots when needed, though. Otherwise he'll be stuck in place and that's a bad situation to be in.'_

"Iron Defense!" Ferroseed did as told, his body taking on a metallic sheen as his body's shell hardened.

"Sandshrew, avert your path!" But it was too late as the Ground-type was far too close to Ferroseed to shift to any side, and it slammed straight into the spiky seed, howling in pain as the Rollout was cancelled and it was sent reeling backwards. It rubbed the sore spots on its body, wincing at it did so.

The pangolin had managed to knock Ferroseed back a bit from sheer force, but he was not injured in the slightest.

"Ggggrrr, we're going to have to avoid touching it. Use Swift!" Ignoring the pain, Sandshrew opened its mouth and let out a volley of shining stars, that connected against Ferroseed's spiky body. He winced a bit at the attack, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Is that the best you've got, Gary? We're getting bored over here."

"Yeah? Then why don't you attack? Afraid you're going to lose, Ashy-boy?"

"Because you're doing all the work for us!"

"That's it! Sandshrew, Magnitude!" Lifting its foot, the yellow Pokémon slammed it back down, a decent sized tremor started rippling through the ground. It caused some of the nearby wild Pokémon, who had been watching the battle, to scatter in fear.

Ferroseed closed its eyes as the tremors surged through its body, injuring him a lot more than any of the previous attacks did. Ash was a bit worried now. _'That had to have been at least an eight-powered Magnitude. Time to go on the offensive before Gary uses another one.'_

"Bullet Seed, and follow it up with a Mirror Shot!"

"Oh, crap!" Gary said, now very worried.

"Forgot Ferroseed was a Grass-type as well, didn't you?"

"Yes," Gary gritted out, his teeth clenched.

Ferroseed's spikes glowed white before he launched multiple seeds at Sandshrew, who dodged the attack without command, causing Gary to sigh in relief.

But not for long.

"Track it," Ash simply and calmly said, and the metallic seed changed the course of his attack, landing a direct hit on the pangolin's stomach, causing it to cry out in pain from the super-effective attack. It did not get a breather as a metallic mirror slammed into it soon after, causing Gary's Pokémon to go sliding across the ground.

It slowly stood back up on shaky legs with Gary's encouragement.

"Yes! Use Sand Tomb!" The yellow pangolin waved its arms as its eyes glowed a sandy color, causing the ground beneath Ferroseed to swirl up in a vortex, trapping the spiky seed within. Ash was getting a bit frustrated at this point, but he had a final plan since Sandshrew was weakened.

"Break through that Sand Tomb with a Gyro Ball and get in close." Ash knew he could break through it. It was not a completely mastered Sand Tomb, so Gary must have just taught Sandshrew the move. Thus, it was thin and easy to pass through.

Glowing silver, Ferroseed jumped and spun at a high speed, passing through the Sand Tomb with ease, ignoring the little bit of pain it caused him to do so, much to the shock of Gary and his Pokémon.

"No way..."

"Now, entrap Sandshrew with an Ingrain!" Getting what his trainer meant, Ferroseed cancelled his Gyro Ball and slammed bottom-first into Sandshrew, releasing multiple roots that ensnared the Ground-type, preventing it from moving.

"Sandshrew, bite through the roots, get them off of you!" Sandshrew tried, but each root it chewed through, a new one took its place.

"Not going to work, _Gary_. Finish this, Ferroseed! Self-Destruct!"

"NO!" Ferroseed shined a blinding white before a powerful explosion went off as he detonated. The high-pitched squeal of pain was the only thing they heard before the smoke cleared, showing both Pokémon out cold.

_'Man, if that is his Self-Destruct, I can't wait to see what his Explosion will be like!'_

"That was a dirty, rotten trick, Ketchum!" Gary growled out as he returned his fallen Pokémon, Ash doing the same. Ash just shrugged in response.

"Self-Destruct and Explosion are legal moves, so I have every right to use them to my advantage in a battle." Gary glared.

"Whatever! Sandshrew was my newest Pokémon anyway. But not this one! Squirtle, go!" Gary called out, tossing said Pokémon's Pokéball on to the ground. It gave a gurgle and got into battle position. Gary had obviously trained it well over the past four days, but it would not be enough.

"Alright, Joltik, let's win this!" Joltik, who had been quiet the entire time, observing the battle, let out a chirp and jumped into position, much to Gary's shock.

"Wait, you said you only had two Pokémon, so where's the one you got from my grandpa?"

"Standing right in front of me."

"That thing? I thought you would have went for Charmander or Bulbasaur, not _that_ thing!" Ash glared fiercely at his rival, causing Gary to take a step back.

"Joltik is not a "thing", Joltik is my partner and friend and I won't allow you to insult her!" Ash snarled, causing Gary to gulp, especially once Joltik started sparking threateningly.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. Just forget I said anything," Gary said, with his hands up in surrender. Ash gave a harrumph before continuing to glare as he started the battle.

"String Shock! End this quick!" Ash cried out. String Shock was the name he had given to the String Shot and Thunder Wave combo before they left the Pokémon Center. Though he had switched Thunder Wave for Shock Wave for the electric attack. Sticky Wave was the Thunder Wave variation he had come up with.

Gary, not knowing what a "String Shock" was, quickly ordered his Pokémon.

"Withdraw!" Gary's Squirtle did as instructed, withdrawing into its shell in an attempt to protect itself. Ash just smirked as the electrified String Shot connected with Squirtle's shell, wrapping it up and sending waves of electricity through Squirtle's body.

The poor turtle cried out loudly in pain as it continued to get shocked, emerging from its shell as it could no longer maintain the Withdraw. Joltik was showing no mercy on her opponent and was using a full-powered Shock Wave.

"Alright, enough! I forfeit Squirtle!" Gary called out, ending the battle. He did not want to see his Squirtle get hurt anymore.

"Wise choice, Gary." Gary glared at him as he returned Squirtle to its ball.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Ash, but I don't like it. You were never this ruthless of a trainer, not even in school." Ash narrowed his eyes.

"I've just had some revelations in the past couple of days, that's all."

"Tch, whatever." Gary strode over to Ash and handed him a thousand yen before turning back around and waving a hand in the air. "I'm out of here."

"Gary," Ash started, causing the other boy to stop. "You're never going to beat me, not with the way you are now. You've always relied on your Pokémon's power, and while I do the same, I always mix it with strategy. Until you do the same, you're _always_ going to lose to me and be one step behind." The only indication of acknowledgement from the spiky-haired brunette was the clenching of his fists before he continued walking away, silent.

Ash sighed and ran a hand down his face in exasperation. Joltik looked up at him from her position on the ground and clicked in question at her trainer's mood. He should be happy they won, right? Why did he look so down?

"Don't worry about it, Joltik. I guess I just matured faster than Gary did, so his demeanor gets to me sometimes. Anyway, let's get going, I'll heal Ferroseed when we make our first stop in the forest," Ash stated and Joltik took that as an invitation to resume her perch on top of his head. The young trainer chuckled as the little spider leapt up and landed perfectly in her favorite spot, snuggling down to get comfortable.

* * *

Ash glanced at the imposing entrance gate to Viridian Forest with a determined gleam in his eyes. To many, this lengthy forest was their first real test as a trainer, and Ash felt no different. It was not the most dangerous forest in the world, or even in Kanto itself, not by a long shot, but it _was_ vast and full of Beedrill and other threatening Bug-types that could end your trainer career in an instant if one was not careful and vigilant. Ash had total faith in himself and his Pokémon in getting through this forest safely, though.

Steeling his reserve, and, after glancing up at the setting sun to the west, the young raven-haired trainer entered through the gate with determination, the gatekeeper giving him a bored look as he passed before they went back to playing on their handheld device.

As he and Joltik entered the forest, he took note of how much darker and cooler it was than outside the wooded area. It was to be expected though, the thick copse of trees in every direction provided a ton of shade and blocked out the sun by a large degree. Ash knew there were plenty of more open areas off the main path, though, and that is where other trainers tended to camp or hang out the most.

He was hoping to come across _someone_ that would give him a decent challenge on his way to Pewter City. Not that Ash was expecting to, Joltik and Ferroseed just seemed too advanced for most of the new trainers that traveled this path. Honestly, he felt a little spoiled at this point. While the easy money would be a definite bonus, he still wanted to challenge himself and his Pokémon. _'Oh well, that will come in time I guess. In the meantime...'_

"Hey Joltik," Ash started, gaining the yellow Pokémon's attention. "Let's get you started on some physical conditioning. Think you can leap from tree to tree as we walk? I think learning to dodge like that will help you out a lot in the future. We'll get started on that new attack I want you to learn tomorrow morning." _'And Ferroseed's as well.'_

Looking a little disheartened at having to abandon her favorite spot, Joltik perked back up at the thought of learning a new move that she did not learn on her own. She hopped on to the nearest tree as her trainer began walking down the human-made path and zigzagged from tree to tree, avoiding obstacles as best she could. The little Bug/Electric-type even crossed over the path to the other side, nearly ramming into her trainer's side which caused him to laugh out loud.

By the time Ash had found a decent rest area that was cleared of any other trainers, it was completely dark out and Joltik was _exhausted_. It did not help that she had to battle three trainers in a row by herself since Ferroseed was still out of commission. Granted, they were all inexperienced opponents, but battling on top of training completely wore out the poor Pokémon, especially since she was not used to it yet.

Thus, Joltik flopped on to the ground when her trainer had found a suitable clearing and watched as he went about setting up their camp area.

Ash looked over at his first partner and smirked a bit.

"Might as well get used to it, Joltik, we'll be doing that almost every day from now on." He heard the little spider give a long, drawn out clicking sound and laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it, and in a few weeks you won't even feel tired anymore!"

The young trainer had firsthand experience with what he said. His school had a mandatory workout schedule for everyone, bar anyone with a medical condition that would not allow them to participate, of course. Those who did were given safe alternatives. All he knew for the first couple of weeks was pain, pain, and more pain until his body got adjusted to it.

No pain, no gain, they said, and Ash would take that to heart with training his Pokémon as well. _'No amount of physical conditioning could save a human from a flock of birds, though,'_ Ash thought with a grimace.

After camp was set up, he picked up Joltik and laid her on his sleeping bag so she would be more comfortable while she recovered her strength a bit. Then, he released Ferroseed, who was still unconscious, and rooted around his bag for a Revive. _'Ah, there it is.'_ Ash pulled the bottle out and popped the cap off. Normally it was meant to be swallowed for the full effect, but as some Pokémon, like Ferroseed, did not have mouths, simply pouring it over them would work.

Pouring the foul-smelling liquid over the spiky seed, Ash could not help but almost gag. He could not even _imagine_ how awful the stuff must _taste_ if the odor was this wretched. Thankfully his partners did not have noses, so they were saved from smelling the awful concoction.

Regardless, the stuff worked and Ferroseed's eyes fluttered open and the seed took in his surroundings as he righted himself into a vertical position.

"Hey, Ferroseed! How are you feeling?" Ferroseed just blinked and released a quiet, yet high pitched, grinding noise in response. _'Huh, didn't know Ferroseeds could make any noise. Neat!'_ Ash took the noise as a "fine" since the Pokémon did not seem to be in any discomfort.

"Great! Well, we're in Viridian Forest now. We're one step closer to Pewter City, and that makes us one step closer to entering the Indigo Pokémon League and showing everyone else just how strong we really are!" Ash expressed with vigor while striking a pose. Joltik let out a tired, yet passionate, squeak. Ferroseed's eyes just lit up with a fiery, burning passion at the thought of crushing his opponents beneath him. He imagined himself, a powerful Ferrothorn, standing over a downed Dragon-type as a crowd of humans cheered him on.

Yes, that is what he had always wanted. Power. Glory. Recognition. The last human he had been with had been useless in utilizing his strength and making him stronger, so he had gone searching for a better one, all the while training on his own as he did so.

Eventually he had come across a group of young humans, and they took his bait. None of them had managed to defeat him, even with his weakness to fire, until his current trainer came along and _won_ with a huge type disadvantage.

"First thing tomorrow, before we leave, both of you are going start working on the new moves I want you to learn and master before our first gym battle. Joltik, it may be a bit difficult, but I want to upgrade your Absorb to a Giga Drain. Once you have it down, you can teach Ferroseed how to use it later if he wants." His trainer said to his teammate. Now the spiky seed was curious as to what Ash would have _him_ learn.

"Ferroseed, I know it may sound absolutely crazy, but I want you to try and learn Vine Whip. If you learn Power Whip when you evolve, I don't see why you can't learn the weaker version of the move, despite what the data says. If you can pull this off, you'll be the first, and maybe the _only_ , Ferroseed to know Vine Whip." Yes, this trainer was definitely the one for him. He would master this move in no time, Ferroseed was sure of it. He was talented already, this would be a cinch.

Ash yawned and stretched as he finished talking, rubbing at his tired eyes. He was not ready to go to sleep right now, though, the trainer still had to feed himself and Joltik before then. Ferroseed and Ferrothorn got their nutrients from the earth and sun, so he did not have to worry about feeding him. They did sell a special nutrient mix to enrich soil for Pokémon like Ferroseed, but it typically was not needed for a journey. Not to mention it was rather expensive as well and really only used by breeders.

Quickly pulling out one of the many bowls he had, he filled it with a mix of Bug and Electric-type food and threw in a crushed Chesto berry. Ash had found out his little spider was obsessed with the things. As to why, he had no idea. They were dry and nearly tasteless, but a lot of Pokémon seemed to enjoy them, so who was he to judge?

After feeding Joltik and himself, and changing into some night clothes, Ash got into his sleeping bag and got comfortable. He felt Joltik wiggle her way into his sleeping bag, the ribbon she wore tickling his face causing him to giggle a bit. The young trainer knew he should savor these moments with her because once she evolved, the "little" spider would be little no more. Of course, for all he knew, she would end up finding _some_ way to snuggle with him at night.

* * *

"Alright, let's get started on those moves. Joltik, all you have to do is strengthen the power of Absorb until it's able to inflict more damage and you're able to recover more health. I'm probably making it sound easier than it is," Ash stated while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But I know you can do it! I have faith you'll have it down before we get to the city. Ferroseed, this is _definitely_ going to be difficult. You're basically trying to learn a move you naturally can't learn, according to all the research out there. But we're going to prove that wrong starting now!" Ash exclaimed while pumping his fist in determination. Ferroseed's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Alright, Joltik, go ahead and get started." Joltik chirped an affirmative and moved over to some bushes to practice on. "Ferroseed, I think the place we want to start at is gathering up Grass-type energy in your spikes and trying to extend them out into vines. So, start as if you're going for a Bullet Seed, but tighten your grip on the energy and form it into vines instead. If you can achieve even a little bit of a vine, that would be fantastic!" Ferroseed let out one of his high pitched grinding sounds and started gathering energy, eager to get started.

Ash grunted and threw off his shirt, ready to start his own training, being sure to be mindful of his injuries. He had to stay in shape for his journey, after all.

Two hours later, the sun now fully above the horizon, Ash called for a break while panting and sweating from exertion.

Joltik had made some decent progress he noted. The raven-haired trainer knew she could do it without too much issue, it was just increasing the power of one of her other moves. Still, it would probably be a few days before it could be recognized as a fully fledged Giga Drain.

Ferroseed on the other hand... had not made any progress whatsoever. Every time he attempted to keep the energy he needed contained, he always lost control and let off increasingly powerful Bullet Seeds instead. _'Well, this has certainly made Bullet Seed more powerful at least.'_ Ash could see the sheer frustration and anger growing in his Pokémon's eyes at his continued failures, however. He knelt down in front of the spiky creature, making sure to keep a safe distance for the spikes, and looked Ferroseed in the eye as he spoke in a soothing voice.

"Calm down, Ferroseed. This is something you can't naturally learn, so it's going to take some time. I have complete and total faith in you overcoming this hurdle. Even if you don't learn it for a few months, you _will_ learn it, that's how much I believe in you," Ash consoled, the negative emotions slowly draining out of Ferroseed.

Ferroseed knew Ash was right and the trainer's faith in him was heartwarming, but that still did not mean he was not frustrated beyond belief at his total lack of progress. He was used to getting anything new he learned within an hour or less, this was just straight up pissing him off.

"Think of it this way- once you finally have Vine Whip down after struggling with it, the feeling of accomplishment from it will overpower your anger from trying to learn the move. It will make you feel even _more_ powerful in the end. After all, you just mastered a move no one said you could learn!" Ash exclaimed with arms stretched out for emphasis. Joltik came over, clicking her encouragement to her teammate.

Well, when he put it _that_ way... Ferroseed gathered his resolve and started to gather the necessary energy to keep going, only to be stopped by Ash laughing.

"No no, Ferroseed, it's break time! We have to travel some time today or we will never get through this forest," Ash stated and returned the pointy seed to his Pokéball and proceeded to pack up his things before heading out, Joltik deciding to continue her jumping exercises on her own as she followed her friend.

They were not even five minutes in before they were accosted by a newly minted trainer asking for a battle, causing the raven-haired trainer to sigh. Deciding to give Ferroseed a chance to battle, Ash sent him out, telling the Steel and Grass-type to just do whatever he wanted to win against the Poochyena the other kid had sent out. That had earned him a rather snarky remark from the other trainer which Ash ignored, of course.

A single Mirror Shot later and the Dark-type hyena went down, causing its trainer to slump over in defeat and shuffle away after handing Ash his prize money. The young trainer was beginning to wonder if he would _ever_ find a real challenge at this point. He wanted to push his two partners to their limits and see where they were in terms of strength.

Had he been facing the Gary that he had faced in school, he would have _had_ that challenge already. The grandson of Professor Oak had always been a cocky and insufferable bastard, but he had at _least_ been talented enough to push Ash to his limits in battle, despite his lack of tactics. Whatever happened between graduation and the first day of their journey to make him like he was, Ash would probably never find out. He could only hope the next time they met, Gary would be back to his old self.

If he wanted him and his team to become the personification of the word 'power', they would need to battle stronger Pokémon. Training was good and all, but actual battles, _tough_ battles, were where they learned what they needed to train _on_ , after all. His partners were quite strong, that much was clear, but Ash needed to know their current power in order to unleash the true beasts within them.

Going deeper into the forest off the main paths was ill advised if you were just starting out, but the young trainer was seriously considering it at this point. The Pokémon were stronger the deeper you went, and he was absolutely desperate. Ash would hold off for now, though.

He returned Ferroseed with a deep sigh and continued on up the main path, Joltik still doing her maneuvering exercise as they progressed. Once they got on to open plains, Ash would have her work on ground maneuvers instead, and when Ferroseed finally got Vine Whip down, whenever that happens, he would join her.

An hour later, and five easy battles down, Ash and his team of two arrived at another trainer clearing to take a rest and train some more. Much to his surprise, however, there was another trainer resting there already. Seeing as he looked friendly, if the affectionate petting he was giving to his Pikachu and Bulbasaur was anything to go by, he decided it would be alright to rest there. Not to mention he was curious as the kid sort of looked like himself a bit.

"Hey, mind if we rest here with you?" Ash asked him, gently holding down Joltik, who was back on his head, as she tensed at the sight of the trainer and his Pokémon. The other kid looked up from his seat and smiled.

"Sure, go ahead! There's plenty of room," he responded. Taking the invitation, Ash strolled over to a different log and sat down, ignoring the worried look the kid gave as he saw his limp. Much to Ash's relief, the kid did not ask about it.

"Name's Ritchie, by the way. This is Sparky, my Pikachu, and Sap is my Bulbasaur." The now named Ritchie introduced, pointing to each corresponding Pokémon as he named them off. Sparky gave a wave and squeaked out a greeting while his Bulbasaur, Sap, just grunted and gave a single nod. "Don't mind Sap, he's just a bit of a grump and _way_ too serious for his own good." This comment earned his trainer a dark glare from the Bulbasaur, and Ash just laughed aloud and reciprocated the introduction.

"I'm Ash, and this little ball of energy is Joltik. I also have a Ferroseed, but he's resting in his ball at the moment," Ash introduced, holding out Joltik a bit. He gave a toothy grin at the astonished look on Ritchie's face.

"How did you get one, let alone _two_ , Unova-native Pokémon?" He asked with extreme curiosity, so Ash decided to oblige him and explained. "Oh, that's cool! Sap here was my first Pokémon, and I just caught Sparky a couple of days ago. Maybe one day I can find a Unovan Pokémon of my own to add to my team."

"Well, there's plenty of the more common species found around Kanto now. Pidove, Patrat, Purrloin, Woobat, and of course Joltik, just to name a few. They were all imported a few years ago to diversify the wildlife outside of just Kanto and Johto species," Ash rambled off, counting off each Pokémon mentioned with his fingers for emphasis.

"How on Earth do you _know_ all that?" Ritchie asked in surprise with wide eyes. Ash scratched his cheek with a sheepish grin.

"I studied a lot in school. I wanted to know everything I could about Pokémon, even though I _hated_ reading books." Was Ash's answer, a grimace at the thought of all the books he read. Books, specifically _educational_ books, were pure evil, but a necessary evil that he learned to put up with rather begrudgingly.

"Oh! What school did you graduate from?" Sheesh, Ritchie's questions were never ending it seemed.

"Viridian Pokémon Academy," he said simply. "But I'm from Pallet Town, so I traveled to and from the school."

"Awesome. I'm from Frodomar City, but I went to the Pewter City Trainer School since it was the closest school to my home town. Definitely not as prestigious as Viridian's, though. I wanted to go there, but it was too far away," Ritchie explained. Ash just raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you just use a teleportation service? They are all over Kanto," Ash asked, curious. The other trainer just looked away and did not answer, but he decided to not pry into it.

They fell into a somewhat uncomfortable silence, causing Ash to shake his head and release Ferroseed, after moving off to the side away from the center area, so they could get started on their training. Ritchie and his Pokémon's eyes followed him, but he ignored their stares.

"Okay, you two continue working on your new moves for a while. I need to work on a plan of action for Brock and for our travel path afterward. Ferroseed, remember, just keep at it and you'll get it soon! Okay, hop to it!" Ash clapped his hands to signal his two partners to start and he limped his way back to the center of the clearing and sat down on a log with a relieved sigh. He was not going to tell his Pokémon, but his leg was bothering the _hell_ out of him. Without his medicated baths, it just was not getting any better and they were going to have to hunker down in Pewter City for a while until his leg was healed, much to his disgust. He did not want to be stuck in one place for too long, but he really had no choice right now.

Well, at least he could still travel through the forest for the time being, despite all the walking being a bother to his right leg.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and opened the map feature to begin mapping the route he wanted to take through Kanto. The first three gyms were mandatory to take on in order as a test for trainers. If you defeated all three, you were then allowed to travel the region in any way you wanted. Johto was the same way, but the other regions of the world tended to be a lot stricter when it came to this. Ash had no idea why they were so restrictive, but maybe it had something to do with the way their gym circuit was set up. _'Ah, who knows.'_

"So, uh, I know this may seem sudden," Ash, interrupted, looked up from his Pokédex to look at Ritchie as the other trainer spoke, "but would you be interested in a battle later? Your Pokémon look strong and we've been wanting a good challenge. It's okay if you don't want to, though," Ritchie said quickly, holding up his hands to placate Ash just in case. Ash, for his part, just smiled excitedly. _Finally_ , he would have a decent battle for once! Or at least he hoped so, based on his judgement of Ritchie's two partners.

"Are you kidding me? All we've been fighting are Pokémon _way_ below our level. Heck yeah I accept your challenge!"

* * *

"Okay, let's flip a coin to see who chooses first," Ash suggested. It was fair, and it was basically how they decided who would send out first in the major leagues.

"Sounds good to me," Ritchie responded, pulling out a coin. "Heads or tails?"

"Heads," Ash said. Ritchie flicked the coin high into the air, both watching intently as it spun around. The other trainer caught it on the way down and flipped it over to reveal...

"Ha! Heads!" Ritchie groaned in jest, but accepted that he would choose first. Not that there would be much of a choice with both trainers only having two Pokémon.

Ash and Ritchie spread apart to form a makeshift battlefield, and the brown-haired trainer enlarged a Pokéball before chucking it out in front of him.

"Let's go, Sparky!" The Pikachu, of whom had a little tuft of fur sticking up off his head that Ash just now noticed, emerged with a cry and immediately got into a battle stance on all fours. Electricity crackled from his cheek pouches as the little mouse awaited his opponent.

Ash weighed his options on which of his two partners he would choose for this first battle. He knew if he chose Ferroseed this battle would go a lot easier and it would push Ritchie's Pikachu to his limit, but he was not here for an easy battle. He had not yet come across another Electric-type (or Grass-type for that matter) and the young trainer did not want to waste this opportunity. Grabbing his chosen Pokémon, he tossed the ball out in front of him.

"Time to shine, Joltik." Ash was not really big on fancy entrances with his Pokémon, but just this once he would do it. Joltik appeared with a flash and she immediately took on her signature battle stance as she eyed the sparking Pikachu across the field with determination.

The raven-haired trainer knew this would not be a one-shot hit as all of the other battles in Viridian Forest have been so far, and he was looking forward to it. Ash _did_ know Joltik had a slight advantage over the Pikachu, though. It was small, but she had a more varied movepool than Pikachu typically did in the beginning, and he would use that to his advantage.

"Thunder Shock!" Ritchie called out.

The battle had begun.

"Shock Wave," Ash countered quickly. Both attacks met in the middle with Shock Wave slowly gaining an advantage as it began to push back the Thunder Shock, showing its superior strength over the weaker electric move.

"Cancel it, and go in for a Quick Attack," Ritchie told Pikachu, and the yellow mouse did so, swiftly dodging to the right as Shock Wave struck the spot he was just in milliseconds before, and rammed into Joltik at lightning speeds. It sent her careening into a nearby tree with a surprised squeal.

 _'Whoa, that's fast!'_ Ash thought. _'We need to curb that speed immediately.'_

"Spider Web, and don't stop until you hit it," Ash commanded. "Once you hit it, grab it with String Shot and slam it around!" Joltik jumped back onto the field and began firing sticky webs from her mouth at the Pikachu, who was now dodging at Ritchie's command.

"Sparky, try to get in close and hit Joltik with a Slam!" Ash knew that would hurt Joltik a lot if it hit, so he waited until the Pikachu got close to give his order.

"Jump!" Joltik did as ordered, but both she and Ash were wholly surprised as Sparky changed his path trajectory and slammed into her from underneath. She fell back down to the ground in obvious pain, causing Ash to grit his teeth in frustration. _'This kid is good if he managed to train a Pokémon he only caught two days ago that well. We're going to have to change tactics.'_ Looking around the field, he noticed that Ritchie's side was almost completely covered in the webs that Joltik had spit out trying to hit the mouse. _'Perfect. Joltik can run across her own webs with ease. Sparky will just get stuck. This will have to do until I can think of a better plan.'_

"Joltik, cover the entire field in web and run out on to it and stay there," Ash said and Joltik did it without question. Ritchie was now looking a bit nervous as his Pikachu was stuck on the outside without a way to get to Joltik physically. Ash then noticed a thoughtful look on his opponent's face as he eyed the trees around them.

"I have an idea, Sparky. Get into the trees and dive at Joltik using Quick Attack, you'll avoid the web that way." Ash smirked at Ritchie's fatal mistake. Normally it would be a solid plan and a good use of the environment around them, but not in this case. Ash and Joltik watched as Sparky came diving at her at incredible speeds and a white light shining around him.

His little spider simply just scurried out of the way before the Pikachu could hit her. The loud cry of pain as Sparky slammed into the ground made the others wince in sympathy, with Ritchie calling out to his Pokémon in worry. The Pikachu stood up, looking beaten and bruised (not that Joltik was any better), and covered in web. He tried to get out of it to no avail, and Ash decided to take advantage of it.

"Stick to the original plan!" Joltik, remembering what the original plan was from a few minutes ago, shifted around and shot out a String Shot, hooking Sparky to her thread. Ritchie could only look on in horror as his Pikachu was slammed into the ground and trees multiple times. It was brutal, but efficient, and that was the way Ash liked it.

"Thunder Shock!" Taken by surprise by the order, Ash was even _more_ surprised that, despite the situation Sparky was in, he managed to unleash a Thunder Shock that traveled down the silky thread and connected to Joltik, causing her to squeal and click in pain, despite the fact that she was resistant to such attacks. She released her thread, and Sparky fell to the ground, managing to stand back up on shaky legs, much to Ash's surprise.

 _'That is one determined Pikachu,'_ Ash thought as he eyed the panting mouse. He turned to eye his own Pokémon with concern. She was standing, but barely, her whole body shaking like a leaf. Power-wise, she was better than Sparky, but stamina? Absolutely not. Joltik could probably outlast a Pikachu in a running marathon, but when it came to taking hits... That was something they were going to have to work on, and Ash knew she was not going to enjoy it one bit.

A staring contest ensued between the Electric-types before they both gave in to their exhaustion and passed out. Ash sighed with a smile before returning her to her Pokéball to rest, while Ritchie ran out into the sticky mess of webs and retrieved his Pokémon personally, a worried look on his face.

"Sparky will be fine, Ritchie, I promise. Pokémon are hardy creatures, it would take a lot more than a simple skirmish like that to seriously injure or kill them," Ash reassured. The other trainer did not look too convinced, however.

"Yeah, but still... That looked like it really hurt," Ritchie responded, cradling Sparky closer to him. Ash chose not to say anything to that, but instead suggested they move elsewhere for the last battle due to all the webbing on the ground.

A minute later they found a new spot and both trainers had sent out their second Pokémon, who were now staring each other down with vigor. Ash knew this was going to be a tough battle as well since Ferroseed did not really have anything neutral to hit a Bulbasaur with.

Unlike Joltik, though, he knew the spiky seed could take a hit well. That was why he avoided using Joltik's Grass and Bug-type moves in the end, she could not get close to Sparky without taking a serious hit from the physically superior Pokémon. Ferroseed would not have that problem. The only problem was outlasting Sap and taking him down with the ineffective moves he had, and without having Vine Whip at least usable, Ferroseed was going to be a sitting duck. Gyro Ball could only move him to a certain degree.

Without any time to plan ahead of time, he was going to have to wing it. The only solace he had was in knowing that if the Bulbasaur hit Ferroseed physically, it would damage him. Ash could only hope Ritchie would make that mistake.

"Vine Whip!" Well, there went that hope.

"Iron Defense," Ash called out in time, the Vine Whip harmlessly bouncing off of Ferroseed as his body shined metallic. _'Maybe... I wonder if Ritchie would let Sap give pointers to Ferroseed on how to do Vine Whip. The Bulbasaur line are naturals at the move.'_

"This isn't going to be easy," Ritchie muttered under his breath, but Ash heard it anyway and smirked. He watched as the Bulbasaur turned to his trainer and growled. "I know, Sap, I'm trying to think of something." Ash was not going to let this opportunity pass.

"Well, while you're trying to think of something, Ritchie, I think it's my turn. Ferroseed, rapid fire Mirror Shot," Ash said, pointing at Sap for dramatic effect. Both Ritchie's and his Bulbasaur's eyes went wide.

"Dodge them, Sap!" The Bulbasaur was nimble, Ash would give him that much, as he dodged left, right, and center. Sadly for him, Ferroseed always hit his mark at some point, and it did not take long before one shiny disc managed to side-swipe Sap, knocking him off balance. They had him right where they wanted him.

"Bullet Seed, max power!" Ash called out.

"Knock them away with Vine Whip and get in close," Ritchie countered.

 _'What is he up to,'_ Ash thought to himself as he watched Sap get pelted with seeds that he could not knock away. "Be on your guard, Ferroseed." He could not fathom what a young Bulbasaur had that could attack a spiky opponent up close.

"Now, wrap it up in your vines and slam it around!" Ash's eyes bugged out at his own strategy being used against him. Well, the young trainer had a counter plan for _that_.

"Ferroseed, wrap your roots around his vines with an Ingrain," Ash commanded, and he watched as his Pokémon did as told, despite clearly being disoriented from being slammed into the ground repeatedly.

"Wait, what?" Ritchie remarked, confused, but that confusion turned to shock as he watched his Bulbasaur's energy being drained away, if the sluggish pace he was now at was any indication. The worst part for the Bulbasaur was he could not release his vines like a lot of other Pokémon could as they were a part of his body. He could cut them or bite them off and they would regrow, but it would take a couple of months to do so. Ash could tell Ritchie was thinking of this option, but would he do it was the question.

"Bring it in and slam into Ferroseed with a Tackle." Apparently not. Sap looked back at his trainer as if he was stark raving mad, and Ash had to agree with that sentiment. "Just trust me, Sap." Grunting, the Bulbasaur acquiesced and reeled his opponent in like a Magikarp and slammed into his opponent, growling out in pain as the spikes dug into his skin.

What none of them expected, however, was for Ferroseed to go boom with Self Destruct from the harsh impact, instantly knocking both Pokémon out and leaving their trainers absolutely flabbergasted.

"Well... that happened," Ash stated as he returned Ferroseed, Ritchie doing the same to Sap. "Sorry about that, he's never done that before without me telling him to."

"Don't worry about it, I've heard it can happen sometimes," Ritchie said. "I guess this means it's a tie, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so. Thanks for the battle, it's what my Pokémon needed," Ash stated with a smile as he shook Ritchie's hand.

"Same here." Ritchie returned the smile.

"By the way, Ritchie, can I ask you a favor?" Ash started, hoping the other young trainer would agree to his request.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, tilting his head a bit to the side in curiosity.

"Do you think Sap would mind teaching Ferroseed how to use Vine Whip?"

END


End file.
